Mayor Michael Newhard visits with the Park Avenue Student Council

Village of Warwick Mayor Michael Newhard paid a special visit to Park Avenue Elementary School on Thursday morning to engage a lively and thoughtful conversation with the 14 members of the Park Avenue Student Council. Mayor Newhard spoke about his responsibilities as mayor, the importance of community engagement, and the value of listening to diverse voices—including those of Warwick's young residents.

The mayor opened the morning discussion by showing the students a postcard, made in the 1900s, depicting what was then considered a “futuristic vision” of Warwick’s Main Street. The image included facades familiar to Warwick residents and a bustling community on the move. While it pictured period-correct bicycles and motorcars, it also included elements like a monorail zipping by and hot air balloons and dirigibles floating in the distance. 

"It was created as something of a joke, a tongue in cheek postcard you could send to a friend," explained Mayor Newhard. "But it also was made at the turn of the century, which was a time when people were very optimistic, thinking, 'we can do anything.' We were really moving ahead to the future, and this was somebody's vision of that."

Mayor Newhard went on to explain that part of what has kept the Village of Warwick so vibrant and such a great place to live is its strong combination of embracing a rich history while being forward thinking. "We're always trying to make things better," he said, "not just for one group, but for everybody."

The visit was both an educational opportunity for the students and a community outreach opportunity for the mayor's office, which has been gathering valuable community input for a $4.5 million New York State grant application the village is currently working on. The grant program, called New York Forward, was launched three years ago to revitalize smaller and rural communities across New York. 

"This grant is to help communities with things like their downtowns, their parks, making their communities stronger," said Mayor Newhard. "The idea is to come up with projects that are what we call 'transformational projects.' And that's why I'm here today. Part of this grant is to do outreach and talk to people, hear their ideas, and include that input."

Mayor Newhard wanted to hear the voice of young people in the community who are looking at the Village of Warwick in their own way, from a very unique and important perspective. "How do we make our village a better place for you and for your friends?" he asked. "I want to be able to share some of your thoughts."

The students were eager to learn about how decisions like these are made in local government and how they, too, can play a role in shaping their village's future. To help the students collect their thoughts prior to his visit, Mayor Newhard shared a short questionnaire they could review with their families via Student Council Advisors Theresa Canfield and Amy Buliung.

Among the questions: What do the students find most interesting about the village?

One student said she really just loves how friendly everyone is. Another student had this to share: "It's great that people can enjoy being outside, spending time with family, and supporting local businesses... I think it is important to support small businesses because they make our town special."

Mayor Newhard could not agree more, saying, "That's an excellent thought, and that's what we're trying to do. By making improvements to our downtown, we'll support small businesses. And that's what makes our community different, it's not big stores, but it's your neighbor who has a store and who's hiring people locally and giving back to the community."

Many of the students mentioned the array of locally owned shops as a favorite aspect of their community, with specific shout outs to "all of the candy stores" and "so many good restaurants!"

When asked about their favorite street, Main Street received a lot of votes, while Bellevale Lakes, Clearview, and Fairview received nods because "that’s where [ I ] live!" Also in the discussion were "whichever road the mayor lives on" and "Park Avenue, because this is where our school is and I love to learn here!"

Much of the morning discussion centered on Warwick's outstanding parks. Students said they enjoy Stanley Deming Park for its variety of activities and equipment, "like playing on the slides," and Veterans Memorial Park, "because I play Little League there." Of course, the new Skate Park was also a hot topic. 

"For me, I like Airport Park because I live right around the block. And since it was recently updated, so many more kids come to play there now," added one student. "It shows how new projects can make a big difference in our town. I think we can make it even better by adding more lights for safety, bathrooms, water fountains, and more shaded spots for hot days."

An impressed Mayor Newhard said with a smile, "All great ideas. I'll make sure that I pass those ideas on to Supervisor Dwyer, because he's the boss of that park."

Another student suggested that he "would add a lot of shading areas. For example, like, at Stanley Deming I think that more trees would help you get more shade."

As for favorite village happenings, the students rattled off popular social events like the Warwick Fire Department Carnival, the Duck Derby, Tree lighting, Applefest, and Warwick Valley Homecoming. They also talked about the other parades that draw the entire community to Main Street -- Veterans Day, Memorial Day, St. Patrick’s Day. 

"All great events," replied Mayor Newhard. "Those events keep our village active and vibrant. They're all reasons to come downtown, to be with your neighbors -- they bring everyone together."

And the final question: If you had a million dollars in your pocket, what would you do to make Warwick downtown even better?

"I would invest in Veterans Memorial Park and our youth sports teams," said one student. Another had thoughts on an outdoor trampoline park, while yet another floated the idea of an ice skating rink.

"If I had a million dollars," added another observant student, "I would want to have an open space where people can hang out and we can have all of our, like, little flea markets and stuff... instead of taking up all the parking spaces."

"We use South Street parking lot for our farmer's markets," Mayor Newhard answered, "and we do lose a lot of parking for that period of time."

Next the students had a question for the mayor: During your time as mayor, what do you think has changed for the better?

"I think what's changed for the better are our parks particularly," he said. "When I became mayor, Stanley Deming was not really that nice. The stream was there, that was great. The willow trees were there; physically it was beautiful. But the playground equipment was very outdated and breaking down."

He went on to recall the former "bunker-like" bandstand that was there and how it has been replaced, along with the construction of the gazebo, picnic pavilions, and the community-built playground.

"And the same in Veterans Memorial Park; we've improved the fields," he said. He also explained how maintaining all of the parks is quite a large project for his office. "We have master plans for all of our parks. Those projects can be very expensive to do, so we can do one project at a time. The skate park was one of those projects and we've just completed that."

Finally, Mayor Newhard shared another exciting parks project that resonated deeply with the Student Council.

"We're working on something called the Patriots Path, and it's a walkway from the very entrance of Veterans Memorial Park right down to the playing fields," Mayor Newhard shared. "And so this walkway, along with making walking and driving much safer, will be used as kind of a history lesson. It will talk about the veterans' many stories, and we're very excited about that!"

The Park Avenue Student Council is well-known for the many annual veteran-related events they organize. They shared with Mayor Newhard that they are already working on three of them this year: Wreaths Across America, Trees for Heroes, and the annual Park Avenue Veterans Day Celebration. And beginning in November, they will be working on the Toys for Military Tots campaign again.  

Park Avenue Principal Vasilios Biniaris closed the morning by thanking Mayor Newhard for his visit, and recognizing the Student Council for their tireless enthusiasm.

"Two great things I want to mention this morning. First, I always brag about this to [the students'] parents and everybody else. It's a really special thing that we have young people to want to come to school early to do these various activities, to have these meetings, plan all these events we just heard about, and to listen to experts who come to talk to you," he beamed. "And the second great thing is that you had the Mayor of your village come and speak to you. We don't always notice the people, the citizens, who represent us and really sacrifice a great deal. The fact that our mayor came to hear your opinions and your thoughts and your suggestions really is an indicator of how special the place is that you live in."

Mr. Biniaris emphasized the importance of such visits, which help students see the real-world impact of leadership and collaboration. The visit was part of Warwick Valley School District's ongoing initiative to foster civic awareness and engagement from a young age. It certainly left the students feeling empowered and excited about their role in the community, proving that civic engagement can start early—and that Warwick’s future is in thoughtful hands.